Monday, April 07, 2003

What is good for Human Beings? Stephen Boyden writes: According to the principle of evodeviation, when animals are exposed to life conditions which differ from those to which their species is genetically adapted through evolution, signs of phylogenetic maladaptation are likely to be manifest. The hypothesis was put forward that, in the case of the human species, the principle of evodeviation applies not only to the physical or material aspects of life conditions, but also to less tangible behavioral and psycho-social aspects. It follows, assuming this hypothesis to be correct, that consideration both of the material and of the behavioral and psycho-social aspects of life conditions of primeval people could provide important clues to the nature of the biologically determined or universal health needs of the human species. With these thoughts in mind, a list has been prepared which is a summary both of the life conditions of hunter-gatherers and, accepting the principle of evodeviation and the hypothesis that it applies to intangible aspects of life experience, of the optimum life conditions for members of the human species in general. The list begins with the more tangible material aspects of life conditions and ends with the more intangible psycho-social and behavioral aspects. With respect to many of the postulated health promoting aspects of life conditions, including the intangible aspects, the principle of the optimum range is applicable; that is to say, too little or too much of a given condition may be detrimental to health. (04/07/03) Iraq, an American Protectorate Chris Floyd writes: Even as the sleek techno-wizardry of "Shock and Awe" gives way to the old-fashioned slog of "Blood and Guts" on the battlefields of Iraq, the Bush Regime's postwar plans continue apace. It's now clear that the Bushists aim to turn Iraq into an American protectorate -- a supine dependency like Guam, Puerto Rico or Britain -- by controlling every aspect of life in the conquered land. The blueprint for colonial rule, being drawn up by Project for the New American Century alum Paul Wolfowitz (without any input from those silly-billy Brits or -- it goes without saying -- that discarded hunk of junk, the UN), will install a U.S. arms merchant, former general Jay Garner, as civilian supremo, the Guardian reports. Garner -- who has publicly declared his admiration for Israel's highly successful methods of administrating occupied Arab territories -- will oversee a coterie of American proconsuls and Iraqi factotums, including the self-proclaimed, Washington-paid "leader" of the Iraqi opposition, Ahmed Chalabi, a convicted bank fraudster who has not lived in his native land since 1956. American masters will determine Iraq's domestic government, foreign policy, economic system, even the education of its children -- the ones who haven't been killed by their liberation, that is. Reconstruction contracts will be awarded to favored U.S. companies, and the Bushists will seize control of the UN's food-for-oil program to finance this ladling of prime political pork. As imperial architect Wolfowitz himself puts it: "There's a lot of money out there. To assume we're going to pay for this war is just wrong." (04/07/03) India extends Nuclear Reach CNN World -- India said Sunday it will test-fire a long-range missile that experts say could deliver a nuclear weapon as far as Moscow or Shanghai. The United States and other western countries had urged India to abandon development of the Agni III missile, saying they are worried about an escalating nuclear arms race between India and its archrival, Pakistan. "The test firing of Agni III is overdue and we feel the need for that long-range missile as part of our policy of deterrence," Defense Minister George Fernandes was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. "The date has not been firmed up. [The] effort is to see that it is test fired this year," he was quoted as saying. India says it needs the missiles to defend itself against its neighboring rivals, Pakistan in the west and China in the north -- both of which have waged war with India in the past. (04/07/03) SARS is now in 23 Nations New Scientist -- The majority of infections have occurred in mainland China and Hong Kong, but many countries now have suspected or confirmed cases. (04/07/03 I like my Broccolli Raw! New Scientist -- Eating your greens could be even better for you than anyone thought. Macerated raw broccoli turns out to contain small amounts of a potent chemical that inhibits the oxidising enzymes that damage DNA and potentially cause cancer. When you chew broccoli, its cells rupture, releasing an enzyme that produces a class of chemicals called sulphoraphanes. Nathan Matusheski, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, crushed raw broccoli in the lab to mimic chewing, and tested the resulting mush. Matusheski says that in common supermarket broccoli, 20 per cent of the sulphoraphanes are the anti-carcinogenic kind, which have an extra sulphur atom in each molecule. The rest lacks this crucial sulphur and has no cancer-fighting capability. But when he tested broccoli that had been heated to 60 °C, he found the relative levels were reversed, favouring the anti-cancer compound. (04/07/03) UnPlugged! Discover Magazine -- Your next house might come with some unexpected amenities: a pollution-free power plant on the roof, a silent climate-control system in the attic, and a utility bill that averages out to $0.00.  (04/07/03) Goodbye to the Chimps and Gorillas BBC Nature -- Man's two closest relatives in the animal kingdom will be on the edge of extinction within a decade. ... That is the alarming conclusion of a major international study of gorillas and chimpanzees in the forests of Western Equatorial Africa, published in the scientific journal Nature. The dense jungles of the Republic of Congo and Gabon were previously thought to be the last stronghold of the two species, since deforestation in this region has been much less intense than in other parts of Africa. But a comprehensive survey of ape numbers in Gabon between 1998 and 2002 has revealed a dramatic decline in the population in recent years, caused by a combination of commercial hunting for bush meat, and the deadly Ebola virus which has also attacked local people. (04/07/03) Animal Rights? New York Times -- In a rare prosecution under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, two California men, a sport-fishing company and a charter boat it owns were charged today in the November 2002 shooting of a sea lion pup that became known as Arrow for the crossbow bolt found protruding from its neck. The two, Matthew Lyon, 38, of Morro Bay, and Anthony Hill, 18, of San Diego, were charged with taking and attempting to kill a protected marine mammal. Also charged were the charter vessel Pacific Queen and the ship's owner, Cavanaugh Sportfishing Inc. of San Diego. About 50 sea lions are found shot each year along the coast of California, but often there is little information for investigators to go on, said a spokeswoman for the Marine Mammal Center, a California group that rescues the animals. "We don't often get the animal coming back with the evidence," said Roy Torres, a special agent for the National Marine Fisheries Service. In this case, however, the female sea lion pup was found about two days after being shot, and the arrow was removed and turned over to the investigators who used the serial number to track where the crossbow had been sold. A $1,500 reward and an appeal for help generated tips about men who had been bragging about shooting sea lions. Mr. Torres said a majority of the shootings were a result of conflicts over fish between sea lions and commercial and sport fishermen. (04/07/03) 5:53:09 AM

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